Why I Hate LittleBigPlanet

I’m probably going to get some stick for what I’m about to write but I really started to hate LBP the more I played of it.

First off, I actually loved the BETA. I thought it was great fun, Sackboy was a great character and I had a lot of fun playing it. Then I decided to stop because I didn’t want to get the game and find that the experience would be watered down due to playing too much of the BETA.

Big mistake. The more I played of the game, the more I realised it is absolutely crap as a platformer. You can throw all this stuff about creating levels and all the community stuff at me but none of that can hide the fact that it is unforgivably flawed as a platform game.

LBP is meant to be fun and aimed at bringing on board ‘casuals’ or some of the Wii crowd (aswell as regular gamers), or so we are led to believe. How can a game that infuriates so much due to broken controls that makes controlling Sackboy so infuriating, appeal to people that just want to have fun, when it sucks all the fun out of the experience!

The amount of times I died because Sackboy skidded on a platform or failed to jump high enough or far enough to reach a perfectly reachable platform was bordering on the ridiculous. There was even an incident where one of the bouncy platforms toppled over meaning I couldn’t progress any further on that level so I had to quit out of it!!

I’m talking about the Story levels btw, not user created levels.

LBP is supposed to be a platformer yet it fails, as far as I’m concerned, to get the basic elements of what makes platform games so much fun. The physics in the game cause far too many problems for me. When I jump, I want to be able to actually control myself how far and high I jump, not end up with seemingly random heights and distances regardless of how hard or light I press the jump button. When my character lands he should not continue to move as if he’s on an ice platform and fall on to spikes or to it’s death.

Everything has to be so precise in LBP. This completely takes away the fun of the experience and massively reduces the pick up and play factor for me.

I really can’t see any of the supposed ‘casual gamers’ sticking with a game that can infuriate so easily.

I decided to have a quick play with the level creater tools but gave up as everything felt too fiddly and time consuming. You may argue that I should put the time in to get the best out of this side of LBP but I simply do not have the time to do this.

As a result, LBP became an incredibly annoying game, so much so that I traded it in yesterday and got the flawed and buggy Fallout 3 instead.

Maybe Media Molecule should’ve actually spent more time on getting the game mechanics and platforming elements right and made the platforming fun and enjoyable as a result.

The mass majority will probably not agree with what I’ve written but hey, that’s life. If you love LBP, great! I however will not recommend this game to anyone based on how poor it is as a platformer.

EDIT: Even Media Molecule boss Mark Healey isn’t entirely happy with the control scheme in LBP. Check out the 5.10 mark onwards in this video.

I really like the game, I played the beta, played with my brothers at his place, and I am waiting for my copy. But I understand your frustration, jumping is way too floaty, it didn’t really have to be that way.

One more thing of concern is that, on slippery platforms, you “slip too much”. A sackboy can change direction in mid-air to land on about the same place it jumped from, but when it is slippery, it can’t change its direction, as if air has more traction than ice. This kind of happens in all platformers, but in LBP this sticks out.

I hope I don’t grow tired of it, but I am hopeful I’ll keep on liking LBP, because I have plans for making some levels..

Sorry to hear you feel that way. I just got past The Canyons and I’m enjoying the game a lot. I can see where you’re coming from. Some of the parts in the Canyons were harder than necessary because of the controls. But, having grew up in the NES days of the platformer, I was able to get past these parts as I’m sure you were. In fact, controlling Sackboy seems to get easier the more I play the game.

Not recommending the game anymore is a bit harsh. I’m not sure how influential you are but seeing as how you write a pretty well known blog I’ll assume a good deal of people seek your advice on game purchases. That said, to tell them this game isn’t any good because it doesn’t control as well as you’d like it to is, again, harsh. You’re telling me you didn’t have fun with the game? My bud and I actually have more fun playing LBP co-op than Gears 2. This is the PERFECT game to get two siblings.

Opinions are just that and I respect you for writing such a controversial article but I respectfully disagree.

Yeah, the fun factor decreased the more I played it until it got to the point where it became a chore and I began to hate it. I always play games for fun and when the fun factor goes, so does the game.

I know a lot of people that do love the game. I’m not trying to begrudge them of that but if somebody asks me how it plays as a platformer I will give my honest opinion and tell them to try it for themselves.

Maybe my opinion is a little harsh but it’s disappointing because I was really looking forward to LBP and it just didn’t live up to what I was hoping for.

Have to agree with ya there. LBP platforming does indeed suck puffcake. Even so, I still love the game for it’s creativity. If you can create a level without the infuriating jumps or annoying transitions between foreground and background, then many of the issues go away. The game’s lastability, for me, is in playing with friends and trying out new ideas. Some of the community levels are brilliant – far superior in inspiration to those created by the developers.

I’ll stick with it but, as you say, the platforming is terrible when the level design doesn’t accommodate it. I went on to a little Ratchet and Clank after LBP last night and was reminded of the enormous chasm in platforming quality between the two titles. LBP can’t touch Ratchet for platforming fun.

Hey gary,
good to read someone finally showing the flip side of the coin.
I’ve been undecided about getting LBP ever since launch, but every time I get the oportunity to get it, i fing myself reaching past it to the likes of Dead Space, Fallout, Farcry etc.
I think my main problem is after watching the endless youtube videos and positive reviews, I think ive pretty much ruined any of the “wow factor” that i can imagine some one who’s never seen LBP in action getting and i can imagine the novelty of having the same format levels churrned out a thousand times a year, growing old very fast.
I can guess that LBP2 or 3 will be amazing games but i think if i do end up joining the masses of LBP users it will be 6 months down the line when we see what MM have up their sleeves with regards to DLC and patches.
In short i think it’s too early for me to decide….roll on 28th (resistance 2 release date in UK)

LBP wasn’t too appealing to me, but my daughter picked it up and she loves it. She’ll spend hours creating levels that are more like doll houses (and she will never publish these ones). I think it’s great that the game allows for creativity.

I did play after she asked if I could join in with her to get get some 2-player-only items. And you know what? It was a blast. I wouldn’t want to play it on my own though, this is definitely more enjoyable with 2 or more players.

I honestly think that if you can’t sit down with friends (locally, not online) to play it, then you are missing out on a great time.

I have occasional issues with the controls, but it hasn’t stopped me enjoying the game. The more I play it, the more I get used to it. And I love the Sackboy character so much that all else is forgiven!

If it’s any consolation, in an interview included in the Home beta (you can see it at the Home Theatre), one of the devs says he also isn’t entirely happy with the control scheme, and they’re thinking of ways to improve it. I expect there’ll be some kind of patch in the future, providing an alternative control scheme.

Yeah, I was torn between LBP, Fallout 3 and Dead Space but ended up going for LBP based on what I played of the BETA. The novelty soon wore off for me though and the basic platforming just grinded me down.

The platforming does need worked on, if that wasn’t so fiddly I would love LBP.

Hey come on guys lets keep it friendly, we are all entitled to our opinions and if someone doesn’t like a game or cant get to grips with it then that is fine. Pawel, lets leave the name calling to the playground were it belongs!

Its actually good to read some objections about the game, and the controls are something that a lot of BETA testers picked up on and even MM have stated that they want to tweak them or adjust them. I find them very frustrating at times and me Misses who doesn’t play games that much found it very hard at first to pick up and play. As Gary mentioned this game is aimed at the casual market and the controls are something that could have an impact on people who don’t play game that often or are not used to the PS3 pad.

So Pawel, relax and don’t get personal on someone that has offered valid observations on the game. If you really love it then fine but don’t enforce your views on everyone else just as this blog isn’t forcing its views on you!

I personally really like the game but i am taking my time with it and not overdosing on it as we can often do with new games or games that have received a lot of coverage. I feel for some that LBP didn’t live up to the hype and thats something personal to each player and not something that can be easily remedied.

I really don’t understand your experiences. I played the game with my room mate once and he doesnt play games at all, and he could control the sack boy better then the way you are stating. infact i was getting stuck at places and he wasnt. and for the comment where u couldnt progress any further in the level, thats why they have the try again feature so if your sackboy is stuck at place where it cant get out from you press try again and you return to the last checkpoint. and its much more fun to play along with friends then ur self .. its a completely different experience.. specially the slapping bit.

It wasn’t that the Sackboy was stuck. The platform used to jump to a higher level toppled over so I couldn’t use it to progress so had nowhere to go but die then restart the level. Very irritating but one that was a rarity.

it’s a sad world we live in when someone voices an opinion that goes against the norm and gets ‘flamed’ for it. So childish.

Yes I’ve played Maximo and completed it, at least that was fun while being difficult. LBP loses a lot of the fun due to the poor controls. The key to all of this is “fun” and it stopped being that for me and only began to annoy the hell out of me.

It is entitled why “I” hate the game, I’m not making spurious claims and sweeping generalisations simply because I disagree with your opinion.

I finished Devil May Cry on Dante Must Die mode and have no problem with playing difficult games. When the game loses the fun due to poor controls, then I do have a problem with it.

I love platformers. I loved the Mario games on the SNES, loved Sonic on the MEGA Drive, loved the Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank games, which is why I was really looking forward to LBP.

As much as I love LBP, i do agree with some of your main complaints. The jumping is difficult, the toppling over or destruction of a required item in a level has happened to me as well. Although, I must say none of these flaws have been enough to turn me away from the game. I love to play it with friends, as long as they dont create LBP’s over abundance of LAG. I am hoping for patches in the future that might fix some of the problems, but overall I am still happy with this game, even after playing every day of the BETA and buying it on day one. I think you have written a good and truthfull article, but I guess I have just chosen to stick with the game a littel longer. The Sackboy will OVERCOME. hehe.

Yeah good point redletters. I decided I had had enough of it. With limited time at my disposal and with Resistance 2 out on Friday I decided I could do without it.

Also, I had no intention of getting hits to this site by writing this article. I’ve always been honest from the first day I started writing on here and some posts get ignored others don’t. It’s just the way it goes. I gain nothing from this site getting hits. I blog on here because I enjoy it and it’s a good way to express my views about something I have a passion for.

I don’t have a problem with people disagreeing with me. My post was based on how I found the controls and I found them to be pretty awful at key times. You can argue I should put more time in and learn to master the controls but that’s all well and good if I’m having fun regardless of the controls.

The fun was removed from the game because of the controls so I had no motivation to persist with it.

Other people find the controls fine. I don’t have a problem with that just like I don’t have a problem with people claiming DMC was too hard while I found it to be incredibly enjoyable and not the hardest game I’ve played.

Gary this was posted on n4g, an anti-wii/360 site so you are going to get lots of hateful and negative responses from people who will defend any PS3 game. LBP is very flawed, and most people do actually feel the same was as you. People like TheTwelve spend their entire life promoting the Sony brand on video game forums, so you can take his opinion with a grain of salt. There’s no reason you have to like a mediocre game just because they do.

Yes LBP can be frustrating at times, but I have 3 kids from my neighborhood come by and we play 4 player co-op in user created levels and game levels, and i cannot remember once when someone complained about the controls. Their ages are 8, 14, 16, and my son is 5, and he plays it too.

I would say more than the jumping is the 2.5 D problem where you can get hung up if you don’t see what plane you are on. But the jumping? REALLY?

A game that had bad controls was Lair before it was patched. And even after it was patched, the controls still weren’t the best. I know because i have the game and played it pre and post patch.

Could LBP’s jumping physics be tweaked a little bit? Absolutely. Will MM patch the game at some point to do this? Most likely. Does this article fail on every level? You bet your sweet ass it does….

I really love this title. LBP has taken something pretty standard and made it a new experience. Not even talking about the create mode, or the user gen content, LittleBigPlanet still shines. The levels and bosses are awesome, the design is slick.

I can see how it wouldn’t be for everyone. It is tricky and challenging. Some players might get frustrated or may play impatiently.

I’ve found the controls to work fine. It’s funny because just yesterday I was jumping between these spikes on the floor, and wondering how people could complain. There are some rare moments when I can’t quite reach a particular platform, but that’s due to the 3 levels of depth, which I wouldn’t want to take away.

You’re spoiled by auto-saves and unlimited lives. I’d hate to see you try Mega Man.

“How can a game that infuriates so much due to broken controls that makes controlling Sackboy so infuriating, appeal to people that just want to have fun, when it sucks all the fun out of the experience!”

What?

Great to have your own opinions, but publish them in an article that’s well written. I stopped at that sentence right there, and skipped down here to tell you. Flawed writing leads to a loss in readership.

I recently posted some very positive impressions of this game (I love it) on this site

I only got 1 comment

My experience closely resembles bakagaijin. I *loved* the story mode levels, but this was even more fun to play with kids, and it’s awesome as a parent to watch this game tap into your child’s imagination.

To the author complaining about the platforming controls… You must suck at platforming… This ain’t Mario Brothers… It’s based on real world physics and once you’ve played for more than 10 min. it should be easy to get the hang of.

And maybe you’re not creative enough to use the level creator – that’s fine too… Plenty of community levels out there….

The big problem with LBP is the “Cool Levels” page and the fact that many crap levels get thousands of plays and hearts while there are many gems practically hidden… I have to go scouring forums and such to find them. My level has only gotten a few hundred plays (but many hearts) but I’ve really had to do some pimping to get there. Meanwhile there are TROPHIESLOLZ levels glued to the front page with 100sK plays.

This could server as a big disincentive for the community to create *quality* levels as it stands now, the cream just isn’t rising to the top.

I understand your opinion… but you have to feel and understand the physics… I think it’s why at this game is great. Everything is affected the same way by the same rules… It took me some times to figure out how to get propelled by the spring platform in The Wedding stage… If you understand some basics physics rules, it will help you in this games.

“The amount of times I died because Sackboy skidded on a platform or failed to jump high enough or far enough to reach a perfectly reachable platform was bordering on the ridiculous.”
It obviously wasn’t reachable then… Or you are very bad at jumping I’ve never had these problems do you even know that the harder you press x the higher you jump?

“When I jump, I want to be able to actually control myself how far and high I jump”
Oh so you don’t know? That explains everything.

“I decided to have a quick play with the level creator tools but gave up as everything felt too fiddly and time consuming. You may argue that I should put the time in to get the best out of this side of LBP but I simply do not have the time to do this.”
Yes I do argue this you complete fanboy tool there are very informative tutorials I have the damn game and you are a joke and should be kept away from the internet at all times, and if you didn’t have time to do the level creator how in hell did you have the time to play fallout 3?

They are actually selling LBP online for about £25 now so the prospect of trying it out may not hurt as much, but i do get the old “Emperor’s Clothes” vibe about all the hype, still my judgement is reserved

What I don’t get is why LBP has been marketed as a casual game anyone can pick up and play and have lots of fun with (read: wii-like game).

As 12 so clearly explained the game does take some skill, and in my opinion that shouldn’t be required for a casual game.
Yes I know kids can pick up the controller and play without any trouble, but then kids can learn any game faster than adults can.

I bought LBP to play with my wife who’s what you can call a wii-gamer and I have to be honest, she has not really enjoyed it.

Too bad, because LBP really had the potential to reach the non hard-core gamer out there.

Alright, perhaps I was being harsh, but sometimes it is hard to avoid poking fun now and then.

“I decided to have a quick play with the level creater tools but gave up as everything felt too fiddly and time consuming. You may argue that I should put the time in to get the best out of this side of LBP but I simply do not have the time to do this. ”

Too fiddly? like the floaty controls that you despise because you can’t get used to the fact that it isn’t as rigid as a platformer from the 80’s/early 90’s?

In my opinion, LBP doesn’t fail as a platformer, it’s just different. It has physics that you have to learn and feel. The game has character and uniqueness that seperates it from the platforming greats like Mario, Sonic and Kid Chameleon etc.
Your apparent frustration with the game was clear as you weren’t particularly critical in your post when trying to highlight the flaws, it felt more like you were describing a newly discovered allergy.

Jumping isn’t as random as you’re making it out to be, you’re just forgetting the physics part, again, back to my point about it not being a rigid 80’s platformer, kinda throws off any predictability and safeness.

“The amount of times I died because Sackboy skidded on a platform or failed to jump high enough or far enough to reach a perfectly reachable platform was bordering on the ridiculous. There was even an incident where one of the bouncy platforms toppled over meaning I couldn’t progress any further on that level so I had to quit out of it!!”

Skidded, I know what you’re getting at here, but it honestly isn’t difficult to control. If tapping left or right once to correct your landing is such a problem, it makes me wonder.

A bouncy platform toppling over… well… because it is bouncy? there is an element of randomness with how the objects react, but it can work in your favor and actually add to the hilarity of your game experience.
Whenever I play through a level, a really hard level, once I get the hang of it, the end result is extremely gratifying. All the intricate goings on in the game make each play through feel fresh and scary.

It seems like you want the game to be too easy. I’ve had some of the problems you mentioned like sliding off of platforms but eventually I figure it out. I haven’t had so much trouble I can’t play the levels though. Some just take more work. Old platformers weren’t easy either. What’s with people wanting everything so easy now anyway?

I was going to also add, my only issue with the game is purely level design related, and it’s to do with how the character is free to move towards and away in your environment to go behind and in-front of objects, or move to different platforms.

Sometimes the levels can be unnecassarily confusing because of this, and it can spoil the feel of the game, but there are a lot of community made levels which show that this freedom can be utilized brilliantly.

I agree with this article. I’ve thought this about the game since the moment I started playing. I kept playing and trying to make myself like the game, but the fundamentals of gameplay are so flawed this game is absolutely ZERO FUN to play.

I honestly believe those little annoyances such as the sack physics aren’t really annoying at all when you have so many checkpoints throughout a level.

I’ve run into those annoyances before but haven’t really paid too much attention to them. Of course, I’ve had to reset a level because something didn’t go accordingly but that simply adds to the fun (at least I think so because you start yelling !)&*(@#)@# and end up doing it again).

Either way, I think this game is revolutionary. I’m sick and tired of every week another FPS comes out. Haven’t we killed enough people already!? I think this game will allow other great games to come.

I have to say that I’m a little shocked (but not actually surprised) at some of the responses to this article.

First off, I’ll make it known that (a) I know Gary (we’re in the same clan), and (b) I don’t agree at all with his opinion on LBP; I love the game, and while I do find the controls a little awkward sometimes, for me it’s not a game-breaker.

That said, he is of course entitled to his opinion, and while we may not agree, his opinion does not make him ‘wrong’. We all have games that we don’t like for our own reasons. If a person can’t get on with a control system, then it is a major problem, and one which I can be certain we’ve all had at some point in our gaming lives.

But the personal insults are uncalled for, and a few people here should be ashamed of themselves. Unless they’re 12, in which case it might just be forgiveable.

As for the comments about the structure of the article – so what? This is a blog for personal opinions of PS3-related subjects by PS3 fans, not a professional game-related publication. (No insult intended, Henning & co.)

I can assure you all that Gary is most definitely _not_ a lightweight ‘casual’ gamer, and has a consistently high level of ability across pretty much every type of game. He is also a MASSIVE PS3 fan, and would not voice an opinion like this lightly.

I also know that he writes for this Blog purely out of his passion for games, and does not receive payment of any kind – whether his articles generate hits or not. So that accusation is 100% unfounded.

Gary is a decent and honest guy, who calls it as he sees it. I don’t always agree with him, but I sure as hell respect him for it. Those of you resorting to name-calling over a videogame need to examine your lives and get some perspective; honestly, insulting someone over their opinion of a videogame – just how old are you?

It seems to me that the more Sony try to provide things to bring people together (PSN, LBP, Home), the more I see people complaining – whether it’s about lost exclusives, other people, other people’s opinions, or paying for something they believe should be free. When did the PS3 user-base become so full of whiny, hateful, anti-social cheapskates?

Wow alot of Post and mixed views. Looks like this is a love it or hate it type of game. All i know is i have it and haven’t played even an hour of it. I mainly bought it just to have. I feel as though this is a type of game that will get batter over time. Kind of like the latest Burnout.

As the owner of this blog, I have to state that none of the bloggers here are paid. The little money this site generates is enough to cover hosting fees, and that’s about it. Gamers don’t like clicking on ads, it seems.

So please stop with the comments about this post being here to generate pageviews. They’re misinformed.

If you manage to somehow make so many mistakes, how did you even manage playing other platformers, this is one of the easiest games i have ever played.
‘Broken controls’ is another cry-baby way of saying i can’t play the game and will therefore blame an aspect of the game which i can’t prove.
Grow some balls

@Henning , yeah as a former blog owner I can confirm that these sites don’t make any money…

It’s hard as hell to make money blogging so please people don’t ever say it’s about generating page views, because you sure as hell don’t understand how money is made on these sites…

Out of all the people who come hear to post on this story how many of you clicked on an Ad -(less then two, yes less then Two people probably) so one huge story is not going to make or break your site.

Sites like this really need a please donate button in the top right so hopefully gamers with a paypal account can send a little change to a site they like.

That’s the only way these site are ever going to see enough money to start getting more writers and start adding things to the site to help it grow and compete with the big dogs.

I agree that the game is totally frustrating in the last levels. They could fix this by making the checkpoints true check points. (Unlimited lives) So once you got to that check point you would not have to start all over again and again.

I think the game could be one of the greatest if they could just keep players from being so frustrated. You have to finish the game to have good stuff to create your own levels.

I know allot of you are saying it is not too hard, but I would love to see your Platinum Trophy.

1. You complain about “your” inability to learn the controls … err… crappy controls, yet you provide no solution to the problem. Can you think of a better way to handle the controls? You want to control how far and high you jump? What, did you skip the opening sequence or just plain forget how to use the jump button?

2. You complain about the level editor “I decided to have a quick play with the level creater tools but gave up as everything felt too fiddly and time consuming” and you go and buy Fallout 3?

Yeah, hypocritical. Last time I visit this site, ever. If you think LBP has problems, wait till you play your new broken game.

Haha.
As far the controls…You basically hate it because of how good it is.
Usually in games you simply click X (normally to jump) and jump the EXACT same hight everytime.
But in lbp you have complete control over how high you jump depending on how hard you push X.
And you also hate the game because its hard….You….Sir….are NOT a true gamer.

Firstly, the only mistake I have made is writing this emotively, rather than give a cold mechanical breakdown of the pros and cons of LBP. This was never meant to be a thorough critique of LBP though.

Secondly, to everyone that has done nothing but hurl insults at me, you seriously need a reality check. If I said I hated your favourite brand of toothpaste or bottled water would you take such great offense? Somehow I doubt it.

It’s simply my opinion on a videogame, it’s not a universal fact. A videogame that I happened to be looking forward to, second only to Resistance 2 as a PS3 exclusive, for that matter.

Do you think I wanted to hate LBP and that I am actually pleased that I ended up getting rid of it? It’s because I’m so disappointed with LBP that I wrote this post with emotion rather than stepping outside and comprehensively critiquing the whole package.

As for offering suggestions to fix the controls, Media Molecule could adjust the physics so that when you landed from a jump, the forward momentum would be reduced, allowing you slightly more margin for error. They could also reduce the time it takes to actually jump after you have pressed the X button. There is still a noticeable delay for me.

That is just two suggestions where I think LBP could and hopefully will be improved upon.

If those two adjustments were already in effect this post would never have been written and I would still be playing LBP.

You are of course entitled to your opinion but I have to say that you (you = Gary) are in general more inclined to express your negative thoughts. It’s a bit like you try hard to find why it’s not fun rather then just enjoying it.

I’ve gotta agree with everything in this post. I was hiiiigh on LBP, it’s the reason I bought my PS3, but after playing the beta my interest cooled. I don’t think it can be the mass market success some have predicted becuase the platform style and controls are just too difficult, and it’s not fun for me to do the same level over and over because of confusing design or the aforementioned touchy controls.

It’s not the “this is for everyone” game some have promoted it as, it’s still innovative and there’s a lot of fun to be had, but it’s not for me. if you haven’t enjoyed platformers before, you won’t suddenly enjoy them now because of sackboy.

Gotta shake my head at much of the phantom criticism being thrown around here. Yeah, the controls can be challenging, but they are neither sloppy nor unreasonable. It took me a few hours to get the hang of things but I quickly found myself navigating the incredible levels online in no time.

Same for the level editor. Absolutely ground-breaking stuff which allows me to create a simple but cute level for my kids in minutes, while I work little by little for weeks to make something more ambitious. Was hard at first, but now I can slap together moving parts, ‘script’ some interactivity and add other complex elements in minutes!

How anyone can bash this game on any level is beyond me. But I guess we all need to be ‘sensational’ for whatever purpose it serves. And while everyone is entitled to their opinion, they look a bit silly when it flies in the face of universal acclaim.

very good blog. finally nice to see someone telling the truth around here instead of pretending sony finally won something, LOL. sony always faaillzzzz. they cant win anything but the LAST PLACE spot, lol.

poor droids

I knew the CORE GAMEPLAY in this garbage tech demo was trash, which is why the game will fail.

Wow, they’re really coming out of the woodwork for this one. I guess you really touched a nerve. Personally, I love LBP but I can understand why some dislike it. The controls can be quite annoying sometime but, I think its a great multi-player game. My fiance and I have a great time whenever we play. Also, I really like the user created content aspect of the game. I’ll admit that not all of the levels are worth the time but, I find it very interesting and fun checking out other people’s creations. Let me just say to the people that have come to attack the man, relax. It’s just a game. This fanboy sh*t is ruining videogames.

“Why I Hate LittleBigPlanet
I’m probably going to get some stick for what I’m about to write but”

well since you knew it was coming….her it is…

you dumb****…retarded sonofabitch…the game was designed with the same mechanics that they offer people to create levels…if you have a problem jumping onto levels because they are too high…make em lower…i can see it now..if all the jumps were super easy youd be complaining that the game is too easy…what a ****ing loser you are.

no game is perfect asshole. the imperfections in this game are really based on your skill level, which you just admitted are pretty ****ing terrible. First you loved it..(I assume on the easy levels…then as the game got more difficult your gay ass couldnt handle it)…I have the perfect solution for you though…get a real job and then buy a wii….theres a game called wii music, no matter what ya do, it makes music…and you win…either that or drop dead..scum!!…..lmao

im kidding dude, not about the dropping dead part, but about the getting a real job part, you do have a real job, you make people like me realize how much better I am at games than most…loser

Good post Gary. I don’t whole heartedly agree with you, as i don’t find these problems a deal breaker. BUT they are very frustrating. I’ll admit to not spending enough time with the game yet as i got COD:WaW soon after but i do remember a few levels frustrating me. I will go back to it soon and i look forward to mastering the controls. In the video you posted in the edit it sounds like they are keen to tweak the controls which would be fantastic.

Wow! What a real jerk! Regardless if you were joking or not, all that cussing and bruha was rather retarded. I bet you had a little poop in your pants from the excitement of posting that. Seriously man (edit: CHILD), child out!

Now for my comments on LBP:

It’s a platform game. No, matter how fun, cute, exciting, or creative you make it. It will still be a platform game. Meaning, it’s going to have all of the idiosyncrasies of your a-typical platform game.

In other words, I’m not surprised that people are beginning to dislike it.

I have a feeling my prediction will come true, this game will be in such surplus at 2nd hand game stores that I’ll be able to pick up for about $10, a month or so after Christmas.

I’ve not played a platformer in 2 decades so have very little interest in LBP but I’d just like to say that the comments to the article have lowered my already low lack of faith in humanity. The author is right to report on his thoughts towards this and any game and doesn’t deserve personal insults and the laughable comments about his ‘gaming manhood’.

I love the smell of napalm in the morning… The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like… this. A whole load of flaming puffcakes.

If I play a game like Wipeout HD, end up in the wall and fail to achieve a time or win a race, then I have only myself to blame. Falling off a cliff in Ratchet, getting beaten in Bioshock, being discovered in MGS4: these things leave you with the uncomfortable fact that, if it happened, it was your fault.

On the other hand, there’s games like Burnout Paradise and LittleBigPlanet. In the former, you can sometimes be caught out by traffic that was simply impossible to avoid, but even that is less frustrating than the somewhat dodgy manoeuvres of LBP.

Gary, as Paranoimia already stated quite clearly, is an awesome gamer. I’ve played next to Gary on numerous occasions in FPS games and wondered how the monkeys he’s still standing. I’ve raced next to him and wondered how he managed to barrel roll off the tiniest ramp and sedately glide down in front of me. I’ve played in-game hide and seek and wondered… well, okay, don’t worry about that last one. Anyway, to put it in language that is more universally understood:

I am a hardcore platforming maniac and I find Little Big Planets platforming physics to equal that of Super Mario Brothers 1. Controlling the momentum of Sackboy is easy if you know how to time your jumps (Just like in mario) and press the button hard enough instead of simply holding it down until you have jumped high enough.

I have played so many platformers yet LBP has almost an exact clone of SMB1’s physics except for when moving in the 3D world of a 2D scroller. Compare the two side by side and you’ll see that they are the same when it comes to the physics of the game.

As for the 3D part of the game, Which Mark was reffering to, it is a bit frustrating to move “in” or “out” because you have to stop and hit up or down twice. Sometimes even hit up or down and jump to do it.

The only problem that I have with LBP is time. I just don’t have enough time to sit and make a whole series of levels all following a story.

But it is sad to see that you gave up on the game so quickly. Oh well your loss.

This guy is completely right. I went over my cousin’s house and we played this for the first time each, for only 10 minutes a piece before we began sawing the locust horde in Gears 2. LBP is frustrating as hell and a very, very, VERY poor attempt to dethrone the king and god of platformers, Mario.

Some truly stunning comments that neither shock or surprise me, which is pretty sad in itself really.

Thank you to everyone that managed to refrain from hurling childish and pathetic (not to mention needless) insults my way and for managing to share your views and why you thought my opinion was wrong, in an intelligent and friendly manner, even if you do disagree with my views.

I expected one thing from LBP and was faced with an altogether different experience and didn’t have the time or patience to persist with it. It may be my loss, it may not be, but when I stop enjoying a game for whatever reason, it’s time to move on.

Looking back on my post, it’s by far not the best piece I’ve ever written and I could of chosen my words more carefully but I stand by my key gripes that it is too fiddly to control and a little too unforgiving on too many occasions, especially considered who this game is supposed to attract.

It’s simply not for me. A lot of people love it and that’s great I hope you all continue to enjoy it for months to come and I hope it is a big success for both Media Molecule and the PS3.

I will however, enjoy getting stuck into Resistance 2 from this Friday onwards (if the game arrives in time). Hopefully any Resistance 2 post I do won’t be on the receiving end of the same vitriol.

Not the first time I have agreed with you on LBP… Aside from poor character contror, online game play is frustrating due to connection errors, player lag, and griefers (already!!!).

Level creation is a joke. I don’t want to spend my life collecting basic bits & pieces to make a map – just give them to me to begin with…. Cause even if I have them my map will still suck… I had more fun with line rider……

WOW gary…just about every platform game I know has or had difficult jumps, and or areas. (mega man?, castlevania?, etc.) You would have never made it past the nes, and genesis days, lol. Iam sure if the controls where “perfect” then the game would have been to easy and people would cry about that to…

Everyone’s entitled to love or hate what they want. And I admit sometimes the sacks do tend to continue to move once they land a tricky jump but that’s my only gripe.
I love this game and the soundtrack. The music in the last world is right up there with the FFVII soundtrack i my opinion.

No problem gary…Iam one of the few that think gears of war2 was junk and super over rated. I can rant and rave about all the many problems that game has to. It will be the last game that I buy for my 360 (already sold it back to gamestop).
Anyhow look’n forward to play’n some R2 with you this week end.

I can see why everyone is so upset about the post…but…Gary… you said in the first sentence that you were gonna catch heat for the post…why would you try to get all high and mighty now calling everyones whose opinions dont agree with yours Childish? Dude…dont apologize before you shoot someone…validating your opinion before you make it just makes you look like a cupcake!! I like the game by the way… sorry you couldnt get into it like Resistence 2 (same old FPS as always)

It’s quite simple and quite clear CEOBones, I do NOT have a problem with anyone that disagrees with what I have said. I do have a problem with the pathetic individuals that are only capable of throwing insults my way rather than actually acknowledging that it is only an opinion from one man that really means nothing in the grand scheme of things.

I disagree with members of this blog and friends in real life all the time but I don’t hurl obscenities at them simply because I don’t agree with their views.

The fact so many have replied with such pathetic posts shows the worst side of gaming. It’s easy to hurl insults via a keyboard though. If it makes them feel better then they really do live sad pathetic lives.

A little contradictory – you don’t like the game because the controls require you to jump accurately and control your player too precisely in varied physical environments?

Isn’t that exactly what platform games are about?

The only things really ‘funky’ about LBP is the 3 depth levels – which can be a problem on user levels – and the physics, which can produce seemingly random results sometimes. But the physics adds a lot, and without it, user-generated levels would be barely possible.

Apart from say, ratchet and clank, and the early jack and daxter, I never got ‘into’ platform games (and these 3d ones barely count), because that mechanic is exactly the thing that put me off them. It’s just a grind, it’s too hard and frustrating, and it isn’t ever very fun. But the same could be said about almost any game if you stand back and look at it in the ‘wrong’ way … they all have some repetitive mechanic that gives you some inconsequential ‘reward’ or merely progress.

It’s just part of the genre, complaining that a platform game is too much like a platform game … is a little odd. And complaining that it sucks because it isn’t the same as ‘X’ is even odder in these days of yet-another-knock-off or sequel.

And FWIW after writing a big ‘well this game just sucks, and I expect flames’ flame-post, you should surely expect plenty of flames back. Just enjoy the flamage for what it is … Anyway, how do you think the developers would think if they read your post? Then juxtapose that with how you feel about some replies to your post?

No I don’t like the game because I think the controls suck. Full stop. I do not think the controls are user friendly at all, especially with who this game is supposed to be aimed at.

As for accurate jumping, the physics make that far harder than it should be. It’s all well and good people saying the physics add a real touch to the game but you’re controlling a Sackboy/girl around a world with cardboard cut out talking characters so the sense of realism goes completely out of the window for me. Physics or no physics.

The controls put me off from persisting with the game and I’m sure they will put other people off. Clearly I’m in the minority here which is fine. The devs have even admitted that they are far from happy with the controls too so it’s not as if I’m the only person in the entire world who has played LBP, that doesn’t like the controls.

i think one of LBP’s main flaws is the lack of the option to create seperate files. do people suppose that everyone lives alone, or that one person in every househould plays videogames? wat a bad move there.

I am a new PS3 owner and this is the game I bought. After a month with PS3 and LBP I am left with the distinct feeling I should sell PS3 and go buy a Wiii instead. If this is what people call fun just shoot me. The control totally sucks. As I went further in the game I developed a distinct desire to take my 5-pound sledge hammer to the PS3. I hate it!!! I hope that not all PS3 games are this way.

How can anyone possibly call it a simple platformer? You can jump super high, or jump so low that you don’t even move, all depending on your button pressing. The good ol’ mario inertia is there. If you look closely, you will find a depth to every step and jump unlike any other platformer. The sackboy isn’t a hardcore platformer ninja, but you are.. only when you get good at ‘tyming’ as he called it.

I actually hate LBP. Both 1and 2. I just don’t enjoy the game, the art style, or even the custom level design. I found the levels rather simple and boring, with the difficulty only being in the ***** controls. Oh look, multiplayer and I can slap someone. Wow. Revolutionary. The second one I hated even more than the first, oh look, we added a ***** shitty grappling hook. Wow. Revolutionary.

Seriously though, I understand that this is supposed to appeal to the general masses but I just think its a ***** game with no actual content aside from the custom content you create. Sandboxing may be fine with some gamers, but I play a game to enjoy it. I don’t want to make any levels and I really dont give a ***** about levels other gamers may have made.

And as platformers go, LBP1 was incredibly boring an repetitive. It felt more to me like a b-class nes platformer made by some japanese breakfast cereal company as a promotion.

Also, I have an unjustifiable hate for sackboy. I really really really want to methodically torture and kill it. It just looks too ***** stupid to live. But then, Im a hater. I hated oblivion. And ill probably hate skyrim too. /flame on